Cleaning nozzles



y 1957 H. WESSEL 2,800,678

CLEANING NOZZLES Filed April 22, 1953 fig "II/ .H

CLE&N1NG NOZZLES Hans Wessel, Wildbergerhutte, Bezirlr Kola, GermanyApplican' on April 22, 1953, erial No. 359,282

Claims priority, application Germany June 24, 1952 2 Claims. (Cl.15-367) This invention relates to improvements in appliances used inconnection with cleaning apparatus.

Vacuum cleaners are frequently used for the purpose of removing bysuction the accumulations of dust from heating bodies, radiators and thelike. With the hitherto available appliances, more particularly theusual vacuum cleaner nozzles, an adequte removal of the dust was notpossible for the reason that the radiators composed of many ribs havemany inaccessible spaces, in which the dust adheres in the course oftime and which it is not possible to get at sufficiently closely withthe usual vacuum cleaner nozzles, so as to remove the dust.

The present invention tends to overcome the aforesaid and otherdisadvantages and contemplates a nozzle struc ture having an aperture,which is not arranged as has been hitherto usual at the front end of thenozzle, but isof elongated shape and provided with correspondingly longslots at the side faces of the nozzle. This has the advantage that thesuction cross-section does not only extend as hitherto at the frontorifice, namely, over a relatively small region, but that this region isconsiderably extended, whereby the suction effect can be greatlyincreased, that is to say it is no longer essential as hitherto to sweeplaboriously with the nozzle aperture over large surfaces of theradiator; all that is required is to pass the nozzle once from top tobottom in the intermediate spaces between each two ribs.

For still further adapting the nozzle to these special requirements incleaning radiators, it is of advantage to make the nozzle in the form ofa flat, elongated body and to provide the slot-like apertures on the twoflat sides.

if the nozzle be introduced into the narrow interstices between each tworadiator ribs in such a manner that the nozzle surface extends parallelto the direction of the radiator ribs, the slots will be directed to theright and left and will suck the air from the places where theaccumulation of dust is mainly to be found.

As the dust frequently tends to stick to the surface through heat actionof the radiator and gets caked on, the cleaner nozzle will preferably beprovided with bristles which are arranged round the slots in one or morerows. On the vacuum cleaner nozzle being pushed along between theradiator ribs, these bristles will sweep along the surfaces of theseribs and along the inner sides thereof and first of all brush the dustfrom the surfaces. The dust will then immediately be sucked off throughthe suction action and through the slots. In order that the bristles ofthe cleaner nozzle may be able to reach all places, even the mostinaccessible places, between the radiator ribs, it is of advantage toarrange the bristle tufts of the individual rows at a differentinclination to one another.

As material for the cleaner nozzle any suitable materials may be used,either soft or hard materials, such as soft rubber, caoutchouc, hardrubber, Igelit, Trolitul and and the like. Hard substances will be foundpreferable in those cases where importance is attached to having a2,800,678 Patented July 30, 1957 rigid nozzle body which will not yieldduring the brushing'operation, on a certain pressure being exerted. Whenthe nozzle body is made of yielding material, more particularly of softrubber, it will be possible to manipulate the nozzle in such a manner asto be able comfortably to reach with it the otherwise inaccessibleplaces between the radiator ribs by bending the nozzle to the requiredextent around the ribs through exerting a certain amount of force. Forthis purpose it is only necessary to force the nozzle in the axialdirection between the radiator ribs so as to cause this nozzle, owing toits flexibility, to adapt itself to the various curved spaces. This isof special importance in dealing with radiators, the ribs of which lieparticularly close to one another.

Further details of the invention shall now be described with referenceto the constructional example illustrated in the accompanying drawing,in which:

Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section through the cleaner nozzle on lineII of Fig. 2,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section turned through 90 and partial plan viewon line II-II of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a view into the rear orifice of the cleaner nozzle in thedirection of the arrow A of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line IVIV of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is another constructional form, in which the tufts of bristlesare arranged on only one of the flat sides of the nozzle.

According to the constructional'form of Figs. 1 to 4 the cleaner nozzleconsists of an elongated nozzle body of soft rubber, which in the rearpart 1 is of tubular shape and has a marginal beading 2, so the cleanernozzle can be slipped over the usual vacuum cleaner tube which is notshown in the drawing. Towards the front the cleaner nozzle is flattenedoif on each side to a fiat part 3, as shown in Fig. 1. In the planeperpendicular to the flattened part the nozzle is, as shown in Fig. 2,made somewhat wider than corresponds to the diameter of the tubular part1, as the parts 4 in Fig. 2 show. This widening is even still greater,as at the outer lateral narrow edges 5, 6 and at the front edge 7 anuninterrupted rib-like marginal heading 8 extends. At the two flatnarrow sides or surface members 9 elongated slots or apertures 10 areprovided, which extend over the greater part of the flat portion of thecleaner nozzle.

The hollow space 12 which at the rear orifice is at first circularnarrows down forwards into a flat hollow space 13. The flat hollow space13 is in the region, where the slots iii are provided, broader thanthese slots, so that between the flat wall parts 14 inwardly openelongated hollow chamber or pocket spaces 15 are formed which terminateshort of narrow edges 5, 6. These hol low spaces would not be absolutelynecessary for the purpose of suction only, although they enlarge thecrosssection of suction for the passage of the air, which is ofimportance in so far as the suction effect is relatively great owing tothe elongated slots 10 and as large suction cross-sections as possiblewould naturally be provided for at this place in order to obtain asufficiently high suction velocity in the slots themselves.

These narrow part spaces 15, however, have another very importantadvantage, namely, they increase the flexibility of the forward part ofthe cleaner nozzle. Should these part hollow spaces 15 not be provided,the cleaner nozzle would at these places be far less pliable.

Through the provision of the marginal rib 8 along the junction of thesurface members both the stifiness of the cleaner nozzle in the fiatdirection of the nozzle is increased and the scraping effect on the dustat acute, inaccessible angles is improved. With this relatively narrowrib it is easier to reach inaccessible places than if this rib were notprovided.

At the terminals of the rib 8 where the two narrow edges merge into theshank part of the cleaner nozzle,

there is provided on each side a suction bore 17', through which thedust which is be sucked away.

Around the two suction slots 10 there are provided, uniformlydistributed, a fairly large number of bores 19, 20 in two rows, whichterminate short of the part defining hollow spaces 15 and are intendedfor the reception of bristle tufts 19'. The inner row of bores 19 is soarranged that their axes 21 extend perpendicularly to the main surface22 of the nozzle. The axes 23 of the outer bore 20, which are alsoarranged in a row, are inclined at an angle of 60 'to the main plane ofthe cleaner nozzle.

In order to prevent when the cleaner nozzle is introduced into thehollow spaces between the ribs of the radiator, that the walls 14 of thenozzle bend towards one another to such an extent that the part spaces15 close partly at the open side, that is at the sides facing oneanother, distancing bridging ribs or struts 25 are provided.

According to the constructional form of Fig. both the bristles 19' andthe suction aperture may be arranged on only one fiat side of the brush,neither a suction aperture nor bristles being provided on the otherside. This modification represents an adaptation to specialrequirements, in which it is of the first importance to carry out thecleaning and removal of the dust by suction from only one fiat side.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A cleaning nozzle for connection with the suction tube of a vacuumcleaner, comprising a pair of substantially fiat elongated members madeof flexible material and having two ends, said members being joined toeach other along their longitudinal edges and at one of said ends andbeing provided with opposite flat surfaces spaced from each other, theother end being tubular and constructed for attachment to andcommunication with said suction tube, said fiat surfaces of said membersbeing each provided with a single and relatively wide slot extendingcentrally and lengthwise of the respective surface, oppositely disposedchambers in communication with said slots and extending transversely tothe latter and centrally between said members and terminating short ofsaid longitudinal edges thereof, a plurality of rows of stripped off bythe rib 3 can bristles mounted in said surfaces of said members,respectively, and substantially completely surrounding the periphery ofsaid slots, whereby during cleaning said members may be flexiblydeformed to permit said bristles to be bent out of their normal positionto contact otherwise inaccessible areas of an object, and a continuousouter marginal bead integral with the material and extending along saidlongitudinal edges at the junction of said members and along said oneend, whereby during cleaning operation said bead serves to reinforcesaid members and acts as a leading scraping edge.

2. A cleaning nozzle for connection with the suction tube of a vacuumcleaner, comprising a pair of substantially flat and flexible elongatedmembers bounded by longitudinal edges and terminating into two ends,said members being joined to each other along their longitudinal edgesand at one of said ends and being provided with opposite flat surfacesspaced from each other, the other end of said members being tubular andconstructed for attachment to said suction tube and communication withthe latter, at least one of said surfaces of said members being providedwith a single and relatively wide longitudinal slot extending centrallyof said one surface, oppositely disposed chambers extending between saidmembers in crosswise direction to and in communication with said slot,said chambers being aligned to each other and terminating short of saidlongitudinal edges, a plurality of rows of bristles mounted in saidsurfaces of said members, respectively, and positioned substantiallycompletely around the periphery of said slots, whereby during cleaningsaid members may be flexibly deformed to permit said bristles to be bentout of normal position to contact otherwise inaccessible areas of anobject, and spacer strut means extending between the walls of saidmembers therewithin adjacent said slots, said strut means preventingsaid spaced members from collapsing toward each other upon bending.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS431,866 Barnes July 6, 1890 982,640 Spencer Jan. 24, 1911 1,803,921Smellie- May 5, 1931 1,902,534 Wielatz Mar. 21, 1933 2,198,339 HamiltonApr. 23, 1940 2,350,949 Wiemers June 6, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 308,257Great Britain Oct. 17, 1929

